Missing Moments
by Ismeme
Summary: Have you ever wondered what happened in between the episodes, when L and Light were alone? Sometimes there's more to their words than meets the eyes. Multi-chapter
1. The Guessing Game

**Note: All right, I plan for this whole thing to be six chapters long, so if you want to see the whole thing please review and tell me what you think. Forgive me if it's a bit boring at times. This first one takes place in the episode "Doubt", after Light and L's tennis match.**

* * *

"Having fun, Mr. Yagami?"

Light nearly jumped out of his skin. He hadn't heard anyone approaching, and he had been so frustrated that he failed to pay attention to the heavy footsteps that were quickly approaching him. He didn't need to turn his head to know who it was. L, the world's greatest detective. Or so he claimed.

"Actually, I was just drying off." Light responded politely. He was tip toeing over hot coal; one wrong move could cause serious damage.

"Good." was all L said.

It had been less than a few hours since their tennis match. Though it looked fairly discreet to outsiders, someone Light and L's intelligence knew better. They were profiling each other, watching for weaknesses, searching for clues. L must have been satisfied with what he found, or else he wouldn't risk approaching Light so suddenly.

"I have to say, you were much better than I was expecting, Mr. Ryuga." Light said after several moments of silence.

L nodded, but didn't say anything. You'd think that, being geniuses, they'd know how to make small talk. It was odd L was even here in the first place, seeing as it was dangerous for the two to be in each others presence. Light studied L, but L ignored him, instead staring off into the distance.

"Are you looking for something, Mr. Ryuga?" Light asked.

"Yes, and no." L didn't look at him.

A tense silence settled over them. L's thoughts seemed to be elsewhere, and Light chose to tune him out. It was almost hard to believe someone like this could be the world's greatest detective. If he could barely function as a human, how was he supposed to understand others?

"Do you believe in precognition, Mr. Yagami?"

Light turned and gave his pale friend an odd look. The question was so sudden and unusual, but Light knew that it wasn't random. Nothing he did was random. Light took a second to think about this.

"Well, in some ways, yes. I don't believe in supernatural forces, but I do believe that it's possible to gather evidence from the past and make an accurate guess about the future." Light considered going on, but left it at that.

"Interesting." L still wasn't looking at him.

"Can I ask why you want to know?"

"No particular reason. It's just a thought."

Light knew better, but he wasn't going to push it.

From the end of the hall one of the university workers popped out and alerted L that a friend of his was here. L nodded and began slowly trudging back from where he came.

Light knew it wasn't a good idea; he should have just left things the way they were. In foresight, this moment was really more crucial than either of them could have imagined. But then again, when it came to the two of them, which moment wasn't?

"Wait!" Light said, standing up and dropping the small towel to the floor. L cocked his head, but didn't make a move.

"You know, when you asked me that question about the future, it made me curious. What do you think?"

L stared at him for a moment, before turning his head back to the hall in front of him.

"I suppose you're right. Maybe people can tell the future, depending on the circumstances."

"Circumstances?"

"Yes. It's like walking on a bed of coal; you never really do know what will happen, but unless you're careful, you can count on getting burned."

Light stopped for a second. Where had that come from? Had he known he thought the same thing not a few minutes before? No, that was impossible. Their thoughts were completely separate from one another. But perhaps, Light realized, they were more alike than originally thought.

"That's a very interesting conclusion." Light paused. "So tell me, Hideki, based on that observation, what can you say about the future?"

L stopped walking.

"I can say, based on our previous interactions, that we have a very...close future together."

It was hard to miss the pause in L's words. Even he didn't really know what would happen next.

"And how about you, Mr. Yagami?"

Light smiled. "I see us working very closely in the future."

This made L pause. Light would have given anything to know what was going through his mind at that moment.

"Perhaps you're right."

L continued walking forward. In less than a few moments, he was gone.

Light plopped back down on the bench he had been sitting on. What was all that about? Absolutely nothing had happened; and yet, Light couldn't shake the feeling that their conversation had been more intense than it appeared. Had he said something he shouldn't have? Even as Light scrutinized every detail of the conversation, he couldn't find anything of importance. He was probably being paranoid.

It wouldn't be till much later that Light would look back and realize just how vital his words were. But for now, everything was little more than a guess.


	2. In The Name of Justice

**A/N: This takes place shortly before the episode "Love".**

* * *

L picked at the strawberry that remained on his plate. The cake it had once sat on was long gone, and now L was left with nothing but the sweet fruit. He stabbed it with his fork and slipped the entire thing into his mouth. Matsuda sat across the room, watching anxiously.

They were currently the only two people in the room, as everyone else had yet to arrive. Matsuda said nothing as he watched L picked apart the sweets that had been left out for him. L's eyes flashed to the jumpy detective, who was startled when he noticed L's gaze.

"Is everything alright, Mr. Matsuda?" L asked as he slipped a sugar cube into his mouth.

"Oh, yes, of course, sir." He responded.

L turned back to his food.

"Ummm..." Matsuda cleared his throat.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." L dropped some sugar into his coffee.

"Well, I was just wondering..." Matsuda cleared his throat and forced his voice to even out. "Why are you so bent on catching Kira?"

L flashed him a look. Fairly speaking, it was a good question.

"There are many reasons, Mr. Matsuda."

"Like?"

L stopped to think about this.

"Have you ever seen Lord of the Rings, Mr. Matsuda?"

"Um, no, but I've heard of it."

"So you're familiar with the concept behind it?"

Matsuda thought for a second. "Ya, sort of. It's supposed to be about these Hobbits that try and destroy a magic ring, right?"

"Basically."

"Oh, okay. So what does that have to do with Kira?"

L started stacking his sugar cubes. "You see, the main conflict within the story is that the ring is so powerful that if it were to fall into the wrong hands it would doom the entire world. The heroes seek to destroy so no one can ever attain it's power and use it for evil. But the issue is that not everyone wants to use it for evil."

"Wait, if they don't want to use it for evil, why is it an issue?"

"You see, that's it. If one of these good people were to get the ring they would use it with only the best intentions. But even the best intentions can be twisted. People would always seek to steal the ring, leading it's master to go to great lengths to protect it. And eventually, one way or another, their good intentions will crumble."

"Why?"

"Because so much power in such a small place can be deadly. If only one person ruled the world, then any break in that person's will could destroy everything they had worked so hard to build. Do you understand where I'm going with this, Mr. Matsuda?"

"No, I don't."

The tower of sugar cubes came tumbling down. "You see, even if Kira does have good intentions, maybe if he is doing the right thing for the world, if left to his own devices eventually everything will come tumbling down, and the world will be left in chaos."

"What do you mean chaos? Kira doesn't rule the world."

"He doesn't have to. It's about power, not status. The ruler of the universe can be powerless without the means to control it. My point is, if we leave Kira to his own devices, this can only end in chaos."

Matsuda nodded and turned back to the computer screen.

The door to the room opened, and a burly Japanese man stepped through.

"Good morning, Mr. Yagami." Matsuda said to his chief. The man returned the favor with a gruff 'good morning'.

"I take it you didn't get a good night sleep?" L asked as Soichiro collapsed on the hotel's sofa.

"No, no, just a little exhausted."

He sat up and scanned the nearly empty room. It wouldn't be long before the other detectives got here, and eventually, his son. He still couldn't believe that Light would be suspected of being Kira, but it didn't look like there was much he could do about it.

"Anything interesting happen while I was gone?" Soichiro asked.

"Oh, yes. Me and Ryuzaki were just talking about Kira."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Yes. Why don't you tell him, L?"

L let the last slip go, seeing as they were in private at the moment. Soichiro's eyes were trained intently on L, as if he might blurt out who Kira was at any moment.

"It's not as interesting as you may imagine. Matsuda just wanted to know why I'm chasing Kira."

"And what did you say?"

"It took a bit of explaining, but I think the best I can sum it up is to say that regardless of Kira's intentions or the validation of his methods, when left to his own devices, it can only end in disaster."

Soichiro thought about this for a moment, but said nothing.

"I guess that makes sense." Soichiro leaned back and said nothing more.

From the door popped out two more detectives, who all took a seat around the small room. L could hear the sound of footsteps as more quickly made their way towards the hotel. All that was left now was Light, and then the 'show' would begin.

Light stepped through the door, and for a moment, their eyes caught, but the gaze was quickly broken. L knew Light was frustrated about this Second Kira, and that's why he chose to join the team. Every little move he made only helped make L more sure that Light truly was Kira. But who knows, maybe he was wrong.

Everyone gathered around the screen and L began explaining their next plan. In the back of his mind, Matsuda's question didn't escape him. Why was he chasing Kira? In the name of justice. That's what he told everyone. But then again, who was to decide what was justice? Even L didn't know.


	3. Breaking Down the Brick Wall

L watched as Light turned over on his stiff bed. As always, L was suffering from another bought of insomnia, and now left with nothing to do he turned to watching Light. Said man was fast asleep inside his prison cell, still clearly plagued by the idea that he might be Kira. L sighed and dug into a piece of cake.

His sudden change in behavior had been so odd. L knew it was just a ploy to throw him off the trail, and honestly speaking, it worked. L's thoughts were slowly becoming less organized as he forced himself to make sense of the situation. The only possible explanations were the only ones he didn't want to accept.

His eyes darted back to the screen, where the scene had now changed. Light was slowly coming around and rubbed his eyes. He took a second to scan the room before pulling his knees to his chest. L checked the clock. It was just past 4 am, a little early to be rising. But who was he to judge?

When L turned his attention back to the screen, Light was looking directly at him. Or rather, at the camera. He seemed perplexed for a moment before breaking through the timid silence.

"You still up, L?" Light said. L didn't know how he would know something like that, but chose not to respond.

"I figured you would be." Light pulled the blanket off and stretched his limbs.

L tried picking apart his actions, looking for any clues as to why everything had changed so suddenly, but found nothing. Light was smarter than he gave him credit for.

Light was still staring at the camera. His back was to the cell wall and his clothes were little more than a plain t-shirt and cloth trousers. Though they couldn't see it, they knew that they were staring each other down. L finished off his cake and leaned back in his chair. Staring at Light wasn't going to get him anywhere.

The sound of footsteps carried to L's ears, and in one swift move he turned off the computer screen, deleting Light's image. The door creaked open and the footsteps carried to the chair besides him, where they took a seat with a heavy sigh.

"Something wrong, Mr. Yagami?" L asked. The man was up earlier than usual, but looked just as tired as before.

"No. Just having a little trouble sleeping." Soichiro turned on the computer screen and began randomly flitting through files.

"What were you doing?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"Come again?"

"I mean, what were you doing earlier? You couldn't have just been sitting here."

L cut himself another piece of cake. "Well, for one, I was enjoying this delicious cake. As for the rest, I'd say I was observing."

"Observing what?"

"Whatever suited the moment." was L's curt response. Soichiro shrugged. L really was a strange creature.

The pictures of files darted over the screen as Soichiro clicked from one to the next. Half way through, he paused, drawing L's attention.

Of course, it was a picture of Light. Nothing remarkable, just him as a young boy smiling for a shot, but Soichiro seemed trained on it. L could understand why. The past few months have been hard on him, what with his own son being a suspect for the world's most sought after criminal. He sighed and turned off the computer.

L had never been a particularly sentimental person, but the same could not be said for Watari. L had always been a favorite of at the orphanage, though Watari tried to make all kids feel equal, he always had a soft spot for the boy. He kept many pictures from L's childhood and treated him much like a son. Though L wasn't the most compassionate person in the world – he had to be, if he wanted to properly solve cases – he understood Soichiro's need to prove his son innocent.

And who's to say L couldn't use it to his advantage?

"Can I ask you something, Mr. Yagami?" L startled the older man, but he quickly recovered.

"Oh, yes, of course."

"Do you honestly believe your son is innocent?"

Soichiro seemed to harden at the question. "Of course."

"And if proving his innocence meant going to dangerous methods, would you do it?"

Soichiro stopped to think about this. "Only as long as no one got hurt."

"Of course." L turned back to his cake.

"Can I ask why you want to know?"

L smiled. "Just an idea."

Soichiro didn't seem pleased by that answer, but let the topic drop.

Sometimes, when you approach a brick wall, the best you can do is destroy it instead of trying to climb over it. L hated having to go to such drastic measures to prove a point, but it didn't look like he had much of a choice. Soichiro Yagami was going to have to threaten to kill his son. L slipped a piece of cake into his mouth.

Once, he had asked Light whether it was okay to hurt someone if it meant more good in the long run. Light agreed, and L couldn't help but feeling like he was right. Maybe it was time Light got a taste of his own medicine.


	4. An Apple for Your Thoughts

L didn't know what he had been suspecting when he first entertained the idea that there might actually be such a thing as a shinigami. Maybe he was suspecting a more humaniod creature, or maybe he was expecting one with a less detailed personality. Either way, he still knew that this creature in front of him is not what he was expecting.

Everyone had long since gone to sleep; Light was passed out on the couch, with Misa right at his feet. The shinigami was watching them intently, as if at any moment one of them might spring up and incite a fight. L knew there was more to their relationship than there appeared, Light, Misa, and the shinigami, but he also knew that extracting that information would not be so easy.

A long time ago, he had asked Light whether he thought it was possible for a human to know the future. Unlike many others, he didn't ask this to test Light's reaction, but out of actual curiosity. He had a feeling that he was on the right track, he could feel it deep in his gut; Light Yagami was Kira. And now he knew for sure that within the next few days, he would find out whether this really was true.

L reached for a random piece of food. His fingers grazed a smooth surface, and when he picked it up, was surprised to see an apple. He definitely hadn't seen it there earlier. His eyes flashed to the shinigami, who was still trained on the couple on the couch. He turned the apple over in his hands. Quietly, he stood and dragged his way over to the mysterious creature.

Rem turned her eyes to meet him. She obviously had as much contempt for him as he did for her. He stopped in front of her and held up the apple. She gaze him an odd look, or as odd as shinigami can give. He continued holding up the apple, as if she might snatch it at any moment.

"Death gods love apples, correct?" L asked. Rem didn't say anything.

"Perhaps not." L let the apple slip from his hands and fall to the floor. It gave a loud bounce before settling by Rem's feet. L shuffled back to his seat without another word.

Now Rem's eyes were trained intently on L. She knew he was trying to play some kind of mind game, but as with most, she couldn't figure it out. Misa turned over and Rem's eyes snapped back to the couch. L was back to being occupied with his food, but it looked like their brief interaction wasn't over.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Rem asked.

L took a bite of ice cream. "Insomnia, I suppose." Leave it to L to state the obvious.

Rem didn't say anything. L was anxious; he wanted to find out as much as he could about the Death Note, but had no way of testing it without the others here. L picked up the notebook and opened it to a random page. He scribbled something down, drawing Rem's attention.

"What are you doing?" She shuffled over. L didn't bother to hide the notebook, leaving out for her to see.

"I'm quelling my curiosity." L shut the notebook as Rem peaked over his shoulder. Her eyes went wide on noticing what he had been writing in.

"What do think you're doing?" She hissed. L slid the notebook back into it's package.

"Writing in the Death Note." L said.

Rem's head turned back to the couple on the couch. L could almost hear her count the seconds, waiting for one of them to suddenly stop breathing. Her eyes turned back to L, who looked completely indifferent. She looked tempted to open the notebook and see what he had written, but ultimately thought better of it.

Before walking back over to her previous position, Rem had one last thing to say to L.

"If anything happens to Misa, it will be your head."

L bit back a smile. Of course, he knew better than to write anyone's name in the Death Note. In fact, he did something even better. But that wasn't his goal. He knew something now that he didn't know before. He wasn't going to get any information out of this shinigami. Rem was attached to Misa, and Misa was attached to Light, that meant that he probably had both of them wrapped around his finger. Say what you want, but he was good.

L took another look at the shinigami. He knew he was close; he could feel it. It wouldn't be long before they got the evidence they needed to catch Kira. But, somewhere deep down, L also knew that this might not end well. But that could wait until tomorrow.


	5. Waiting for Sunny Days

Unlike most people, L preferred rainy days. Some might say it's because L prefers the dark; or that the rhythmic beating against the windows was soothing; or just because he was odd. But these were wrong. He preferred rainy days because they were perfect for contemplating. So when a rain storm swept through Japan, making it's way right outside their doors, L didn't hesitate. As silently as possible, he tip-toed out of the investigation room and up to the roof. Today he had much to contemplate.

The wind immediately tore through his shirt and the heavy rain soaked him in second. The world outside was empty; many were taking cover in the buildings or hiding under umbrellas. L stood there and raised his head to the sky. The clouds were thick and gray, and the sound of thunder cackled in the distance. L closed his eyes and let the rain lull his thoughts away.

They say that most of the things we hear are simply things we want to hear; that we never realize how many sounds there are around us because we tune them out. L always found this curious. Most of the time he was so adsorbed in his thoughts that not even a single sound came through, but in the few moments that he did stop to listen, he was always surprised by what he heard.

This time L stopped. He could hear the basics; the sounds of raindrops pelting the concrete roof, the sounds of thunder roaring in the distance, the sounds of bustling life on the sidewalks below. But underneath all that, he could hear something else. The sound of bells. And, of course, footsteps.

L turned his head just the slightest. Underneath a thin stretch of cover stood his only friend and arch-nemesis, Light Yagami.

"What are you doing, Ryuzaki?" He asked. L leaned in.

"What are you doing, Ryuzaki?" He repeated. L cupped his ear. Now it was clear he was just messing with him.

Light shuffled his way through the rain until he was standing within arm's reach of L. L's eyes were still trained on the sky.

"What do you think you're doing, Ryuzaki?" Light asked in an amused tone. Had L not been paying attention, he might have missed the hint of irritation.

"Nothing of importance." Another curt response.

Light sighed and turned to look the direction L was.

"So you just came to stand out in the rain?"

L was silent for a few moments. "The sound of bells."

"What?"

"The sound of bells. Their particularly noisy today. Perhaps a wedding is being held...?"

"What are you talking about, Ryuzaki?"

L looked at Light, who had been staring at him intently. Something had changed. Not in either of them, not really in their situation, but still, something had changed. He could feel it. The end was coming near.

"What do you suppose it is?" L asked. Light gave him a curious look.

"Suppose what is?"

"The bells." L turned his head back to the sky.

"I don't hear any bells, Ryuzaki. Are you sure you're okay?"

L didn't say anything.

What would bells mean? Perhaps it is a wedding. Or maybe church is being held. But both those situations seem unlikely. A wedding would have been ruined by the rain, and church was usually held on Sundays, not Fridays. But there was one other thing they were used for. Funerals.

"Forgive me, Light-kun. Most of the things I say are made up on the spot, don't believe a word of them." L's head sunk and his eyes were trained on the floor. He seemed almost...sad.

"It's alright. If I believed everything you said, there would be no end to it." Light offered a fake smile.

"I can say the same for you, Mr. Yagami." Light just smiled like it was a joke. But they both knew the message underneath.

"Come on, it's freezing out. Let's head back inside." Light began to make a bee-line for the the door, but L didn't follow.

"Are you coming, Ryuzaki?"

L looked at the clouds, and then back to Light. Reluctantly, he followed.

Before the door could shut behind him, L turned and gave one last look at the clouds. He knew he heard bells. Was Light simply not paying attention, or was it a figment of his imagination? And why bells, of all things? It couldn't be a wedding, or church. It had to be a funeral. Yes, that was it. Announcing to the world that someone important had died. L sighed and shut the door behind him, the wet and gray disappeared from sight, but the bells still rung in his ears.

Today was a good day for a funeral.


	6. Forever Rest in Peace

"Are you ready, Light?" Soichiro creaked opened his son's door. His room was tidy as always, and Light stood in front of a mirror fixing his black tie.

"Ready." Light said. He tried to sound as down beat as possible, but his father didn't seem to notice.

Downstairs his sister and mother were sitting patiently in the kitchen. Despite knowing little of L they too seemed upset over the recent events. Soichiro hugged his wife and gave his daughter a small kiss, and Light did the same. Today there would be no investigations into the Kira case. Today was a day of mourning.

A black car sat outside the house, waiting to escort them to the cemetery. Light took a seat beside his father and they took off in silence. They were both decked in all black suits, and their faces were grim. Light rubbed a finger on the cover of the Death Note, which he was sure to keep on him at all times. The ride passed by quickly.

Ironically, it was raining today. The swirling gray clouds and heavy drops perfectly set the mood for today's ceremony. Light remembered the last real interaction he had with L; it had been on a day much like this, out the roof of the investigation building. Things had happened so quickly that day, had Light known that it would be the last time he ever saw L, maybe he would have done things differently. Or maybe not.

Near the gates the rest of the team was gathered. They were adorned with the same black clothing and huddled together in an effort to fight off the cold. Light and Soichiro joined the pack as they gathered closer around the coffin.

L hated funerals. Watari knew this better than anyone, but he'd be damned if he wasn't going to give L one last tribute.

No words were exchanged, and not a sound was made as Watari approached the mahogany coffin, his head bowed and his cheeks red. The casket was slowly lowered into the ground. Everyone took a turn throwing in a mound of dirt, each giving their blessings in the process. Everyone, that is, except Light.

Everyone watched as the final mound of dirt was unloaded and the grave was smoothed. It looked so out of place; what with it being the only grave in visible sight. All around them was nothing but woods and moss, only broken by the large headstone that sat at the tree's edge. Watari nodded to the team, and they dispensed.

A few days ago Light had asked why they chose here, of all places, to bury L. It wasn't anywhere particular, with the closest town being several miles away. Watari had told him that a long time ago, there had been a small town not to far from here, and L used to live here with his family. After they passed he roamed most of England, causing many disturbances along the way, until finally Watari picked him up and adopted him into the orphanage. The rest was history.

One by one the team disappeared until only Light was left standing by the grave. The headstone was simply, gray rock with a few neat words scribbled on it. _Here lies L, the world's greatest detective. _Light read the words with a slight amusement. A great detective, but still not good enough to best him.

Despite the rain and the close proximity of the team Light risked pulling out the Death Note. It felt good to finally have it in his hands again, as it had been so long. Light flipped it open and turned to the newest page. What he saw he almost couldn't believe.

On the page, in L's untidy scrawl, were three simple words: _Justice will prevail. _Light snorted. How childish of him. He knew he had a powerful weapon in his hands, one that connected him to the person he had been searching for for so long, and that was all he could think up. Light looked at the grave and laughed. Yes, justice did prevail, but not in the way L wanted it to.

Light tore out the piece of paper, pulling out a pen and flipping it over. On the back, he scribbled his message to L. In one quick move, he shut the book and dropped the paper at the foot of the grave.

"Are you coming, Light?" One of the team members called. Light waved and raced back to the car, leaving the grave alone, save for the one person buried underneath.

At the foot of the grave, the rain soaked the thin piece of paper that had been dropped just a moment ago, obscuring it's words until they were unreadable. Before the paper disintegrated in the rain, the last words could be made out: _Rest in peace, L Lawliet._


End file.
